The 1619 Project to Become Multi-Book Series

By N. Jamiyla Chisholm Nov 20, 2019

The 1619 Project, published by The New York Times Magazine in August to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the enslaved Africans in Virginia, will become a book project, The Times announced Wednesday (November 20).

Acquired by Penguin Random House to be published by the One World imprint, the series will include new and expanded essays, fiction and poetry from a variety of contributors. “The 1619 Project is one of the most important and imaginative works of magazine journalism I've ever seen—it didn't just commemorate a major moment in global history, but made a powerful argument for a transformative new way of thinking about American history and identity,” One World publisher Chris Jackson said in a statement. “And it did it with both bracing rigor and literary grace. The 1619 book projects will further both aims—the necessary commemoration and the thrilling argument—and invite readers of all kinds and all ages to think more deeply about who we have been, who we are and who we might yet be as a nation.”

Random House Children’s Books will also publish four books for young readers: one young adult, one middle-grade and two picture books. In addition, imprint Clarkson Potter will craft a special 1619 Project illustrated edition, and Ten Speed Press will publish a graphic novelization of the core project.

The creative team behind The 1619 Project at The Times will also work on the books, lead by award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.